Week 16’s rendition of Thursday Night Football pits two NFC West rivals together, with sole possession of the division lead on the line.
As Sam Darnold and the 11-3 Seattle Seahawks prepare to host the Los Angeles Rams, with massive stakes hanging in the balance, one former NFL QB has cast doubt on the Seahawks’ Super Bowl aspirations. Is Darnold playing the Seahawks out of true contention despite the team’s four consecutive wins?
Can Seahawks Contend With Sam Darnold at QB?
Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback who spent seven years in the league, splitting his time between four teams, was recently on ESPN’s “UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio” show, voicing his concerns about Darnold’s play in the second half of the NFL season.
“The way Sam is playing right now, they cannot go to the Super Bowl.”@danorlovsky7 on the debate around the Seahawks being led by Sam Darnold. pic.twitter.com/Zsveff5chb
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) December 18, 2025
“The way Sam [Darnold] is playing right now, they cannot go to the Super Bowl,” Orlovsky claimed.
Ever since the last matchup between these two teams back in Week 11, when Darnold threw four interceptions in a losing effort, the Seahawks have gotten subpar quarterback play. The wins continue to come thanks to an elite defense, as highlighted by last week’s 18-16 victory over Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts, in which the Seahawks failed to score a touchdown.
Orlovsky continued by stating how Darnold’s failure to click through his progressions has hindered his ability to create offense for the Seahawks, something Orlovsky believes Darnold had seemingly mastered earlier in the season. His failure to expand the offense and keep defenses guessing has made this Seahawks offense one-dimensional.
Orlovsky called this offense a one-trick pony, noting their inability to run the ball and their stagnation when Darnold can’t get the ball to star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. This is a key storyline ahead of TNF, and could continue to be toward the end of the season if these struggles persist.
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Orlovsky went on to say how the Seahawks’ failure to score in the red zone will cost them down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“This offense in Seattle kicks a field goal 25% of the time, that’s not gonna win you Super Bowls,” said Orlovsky.
The Seahawks have converted touchdowns in the red zone 57.4% of the time, which ranks 17th in the league. Not substantial numbers for a Super Bowl hopeful.
Although the offensive decline has been noticeable, the unit still carries strong numbers overall heading into a crucial date with the Rams. The Seahawks hold an 82.5 OFFi score (B-) according to PFSN’s metrics, which ranks eighth in the NFL. Darnold also sits in the same region according to PFSN’s QBi metrics, with a score of 81.9 (B-), which sits ninth among eligible quarterbacks.
Darnold’s numbers are far from poor, but his recent inability to protect the ball as well as score touchdowns could become the Achiilies heel of a team that looks perfectly capable of going to the Super Bowl behind an elite defense.
Orlovsky believes Darnold must return to his basics because his play lately is holding the Seahawks back from any Super Bowl aspirations. Darnold has the chance to prove Orlovsky wrong with a statement performance against the Rams on TNF.
